Thursday, June 14, 2012

Inaugural Ritual of Remembrance at Buckroe Beach

On Saturday, June 9, 2012, The Sankofa Projects hosted our Inaugural Remembrance ceremony. The tradition of Tributes to the Ancestors who perished in the Middle passage has a long history which spans decades if not longer. The Tradition of Tributes to the Ancestors that we are apart of began in New York 23 years ago, in South Carolina 15 years ago and now occurs in St. Croix, Panama, Ghana, West Africa, Seattle, Washington. Being that Virginia is the birthplace of enslavement in North America, I felt it was imperative that we, in Virginia, begin the tradition of Remembrance here.

Our Remembrance ceremony was a deeply spiritual and educational event which began with a beautiful procession of drumming and shekeres we walked down to the beach where we sat in a circle. We burned the sage to honor the Native American /Indian presence for it was on this land which was stolen from the Native Americans/Indians and on this soil where the Africans toiled as enslaved peoples. The sage was to acknowledge the Native spirits who have gone on, to cleanse the space as we paid homage to our African ancestors in the "briny deep."

It was a day of healing, remembering, reflections, lessons learned, stories shared, poetry, dance, dramatic readings, prayers, new friendships made, reconnecting with those friends from before and libation as we celebrated the lives of those millions of Africans who never made it off the enslavement ships alive. An excerpt of "Crossing a Deep River: A Ritual Drama in Three Movements"; a play written by Dr. Joanne Braxton, Director and Founder of the Middle Passage Project at the College of William and Mary was performed by Professor Green. We were all moved by context of the play and Professor Greens artistic expression of the piece. As well, the student who accompanied Prof. Green was a wonderful addition to the performance.

In attendance at the ceremony were members of ASALH, Project 1619, city officials, members of United Souls Band, Ile Nago, Akeru Ministries, members of Virginia Reggae, members of Poetics and members of the community. In all, there were about 60people at the ceremony, some passersby that said they heard the drumming and saw the white clothing in a distance and came to be with us.

The libation given was incredibly powerful; moving many to tears. As the group shouted, ASHE" we released the flowers into the water,. It was then that a bird appeared circling above us. The bird swooped down into the water in a straight line, disappeared for a moment and reappeared above the water and flew straight back up into the sky. The bird did this 3 or 4 times, diving into the water and then ascending into the sky. It was such a moment and I couldn't help but point the bird and call out "Sankofa." In unison, we shouted "Sankofa" several times as we watched the bird soar.

Sankofa reminds us to know where we have come from so that we know where we are going. This Inaugural Remembrance ceremony reminded us of the importance of looking back and we are already looking forward to celebrating and honoring our ancestors next year.

Join us Saturday, June 8, 2013 at Buckroe Beach to honor them once again. As Deborah Wright, Co-Founder of the Charleston South Carolina remembrance tradition says, "If we don't remember them, who will?"

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Long Tradition of Honoring our Ancestors

Truly, there is nothing new under the sun...

The tradition of honoring Ancestors goes way back to a time before time. Many have been committed to this sacred work of honoring our ancestors who perished in the Middle passage through various Tributes to the Ancestors, Maafa's and Remembrance ceremonies.

Our Inaugural Remembrance Ceremony at Buckroe Beach June 9, 2012 is an extension of a 23 year tradition of Tributes to the Ancestors which began in New York in 1989 under the direction of the late Dr. Mary Umolo and Brother Tony Akeem and still continues today.

My commitment to the Ancestors began 17 years ago when I worked at the African Burial Ground Project (ABG). That was where Deborah and I first met. At the ABG, Deborah and I were involved in and witnessed hundreds of ceremonies on that sacred ground. Deborah took me to my first Tribute at Coney Island and I visited her in SC to be a part of the Remembrance there in 2001.

Inspired by our work at the ABG and the Tributes and the Remembrance on Sullivan's Island, I knew I had to bring the tradition of Remembrance to Virginia.

Virginia is the birthplace of enslavement; as it was at Point Comfort, now Fort Monroe where the first 20 Africans disembarked the British ship flying a Dutch flag,the White Lion and began their life in colonial America. Fort Monroe also became known as Freedom's Fortress as it was the place where enslaved Africans sought freedom during the Civil War.

Remembrance ceremonies now occur in Alabama, California, Panama, Ghana, West Africa and St. Croix, Virgin Islands. We are proud to be a part of this long standing tradition as we honor the millions of Africans who jumped overboard to resist enslavement, were thrown overboard and perished during the Transatlantic Enslavement Trade and whose final resting place was the Atlantic Ocean.

These ceremonies pay honor and tribute to our African ancestors who never made it off the enslavement ships alive. We do this in Remembrance of them.

About Me

a spiritual child of the 70's, Northern born yet Southern raised, from the Bronx, New York. I've always enjoyed writing and have found it cathartic to get my feelings and thoughts down on paper or on a blog;). I found part of my calling when I discovered Anthropology in 1990. After college,I landed my dream job working for the African Burial Ground Project educating the public on the excavation and the stories of the enslaved Africans in Colonial NY. Tragically, on Sept. 11, 2001, innumerable lives were lost. Our office and building along with the Twin Towers was destroyed on that day. I am a Lover of life. My boys are the light in my world. I don't tolerate prejudice of any form. I believe in equality in all forms and support marriage equality. Not really into labels, however, I suppose if I had to I'd come up with something like this;Earth mama,Flower child, Womanist,Humanitarian, Feminista,Animal Rights Advocate, Natural living, Warrior spirit, Child's Advocate, Human Rights & Equal Rights Pro Peace Advocate- doing my part to protect and respect Mother Earth and raising my sons, with my partner, to be loving, sensitive,productive men in this society.